


let your freckles be periods and my scars the alphabet

by knobblyfruit



Category: Pacific Rim (2013)
Genre: Fluff, Freckles, M/M, SO MUCH FLUFF, Scars, body image issues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-13
Updated: 2013-10-13
Packaged: 2017-12-29 06:39:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,165
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1002158
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/knobblyfruit/pseuds/knobblyfruit
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hermann is a big fan of Newton's freckles. Newton, not so much.</p>
            </blockquote>





	let your freckles be periods and my scars the alphabet

**Author's Note:**

> I was really inspired by [Charlie Day's freckles](http://25.media.tumblr.com/c274322cbbf1cbedbc08773cbb406e5f/tumblr_mt781sU0rw1rpgwd5o1_1280.jpg). Really inspired.

It's an experience, waking up next to Newton Geiszler. Well, a different experience than Hermann would have expected, anyway. For instance, snoring is apparently the one thing Newton does quietly.

They haven't been doing this long, the whole sleeping together thing, and it's the first time Hermann has woken up first. Half the time, Hermann wakes up alone. Not out of any sort of meanness on Newton's part; it's simply that Newton seems to generally think that sleep is something that only happens to other people.

So, outside of a few times Hermann has caught him slumped over his desk in the lab, this is the first time he's really seen Newton sleeping.

And Newton Geiszler at rest is a beautiful thing to behold.

He's sleeping on his side, cheek pressed into the pillow. His mouth is hanging open just slightly, and Hermann is grateful to note a distinct lack of drool. Newton had showered just before joining Hermann in bed the night before, so his hair falls over his forehead, stopping just above his eyebrows. That, combined with his freshly shaved face, makes him look years younger than he really is, and Hermann takes a moment to envy that.

He will always look and feel years beyond his real age, no matter what Newton says about updating his wardrobe.

However, the best part - the very best part in Hermann's humble opinion - are Newton's freckles.

He did not get the pleasure of seeing them often. Sometimes the harsh light of the Shatterdome isn't right and Hermann suspects Newton often grows the scruff on his face to cover at least some of them up. 

Hermann has gotten used to the garish tattoos, and even come to appreciate them, but if he resents them for one thing, it's that they most likely hide the freckles that go all the way down Newton's arms and cover his torso. He can see where they go down his neck, but then they're taken over by bright colors and ridiculous patterns.

That was probably on purpose, too.

But at least he can see how they cover Newton's face like a blanket of stars, forming constellations and galaxies beyond anything Hermann could hope to see through a telescope. In his head, he assigns each freckle a digit of pi - utterly unique, exquisitely beautiful, and absolutely never-ending. 

The handwriting of God.

Finally Hermann can no longer resist. He reaches up to brush a thumb down the slope of Newton's cheek. Newton's eye twitches and he lets out a soft sigh.

"Are you being weird about my face again?" he mumbles sleepily, eyes still closed.

Hermann jerks his hand back and sputters indignantly. "I do _not_ \- I am not being _weird_ about your face."

Newton shifts onto his back and stretches his arms above his head, yawning in the process. He turns back to Hermann with a slow smile, eyes bright but not quite wide awake. "I've seen you looking when you think I'm not paying attention."

Newton is just goading him, his sleepy smile turning cheeky as he wakes up. Hermann rolls his eyes with a huff, not willing to give Newton the satisfaction of a response. So he merely reaches out again to softly touch Newton's cheek, thumb dragging down.

Newton clearly wasn't expecting that. He sucks in a breath and seems to hold it for a moment. Hermann is aware he's probably a hazy blob to Newton's eyes right now, but he doesn't move to reach for his glasses.

"Is this because I finally shaved?" Newton tries for a weak joke. He's obviously uncomfortable with the attention, so Hermann drops his hand and pulls it back.

"That bothers you," Hermann says softly. It's not a question.

A blush appears on Newton's cheeks, making the freckles stand out even more. "I'm just not used to it, I guess."

That surprises Hermann. It had been so easy to assume that, with the way Newton usually acted, he had people telling him how beautiful he was all the time.

"You think it odd that I find your face aesthetically pleasing?"

Newton snickers and rolls his eyes fondly, which is really what Hermann was going for. "Well, when you put it like that..." He shakes his head. "I can appreciate that you appreciate that I'm hot stuff because, well..." He waggles his eyebrows for effect.

Somehow that only calls Hermann's attention back to the freckles that move across Newton's forehead. He reaches out to touch once more, this time above Newton's brow. It wrinkles in confusion as he presses his fingers there.

"Beautiful," he murmurs without even thinking about it.

Newton's eyes widen almost comically. "Is this about my freckles?" he asks incredulously.

"You do everything you can to cover them up, don't you?"

"That's weird, Hermann. That is a little bit weird. My freckles? Really?" Newton begins to gesture wildly above the blankets as his voice rises and words smash together.

"Newton --"

"I mean, my eyes, I could understand. My hair, sure. But my freckles aren't even --"

"Yes." He catches Newton's hands with his own and looks Newton directly in the eye. "They are."

Newton frowns, and Hermann thinks it looks all wrong on his face. "I guess... I don't really see it. I mean, I can't really see much of anything right now, but --"

Hermann can't help but lean forward to press his lips to Newton's forehead. "Then I wish you could see what I see."

There's a pause as Newton seems to think about that. Then he removes a hand from Hermann's grip and slides it under the covers and over Hermann's body until it lands gently above the gnarled scar tissue on his thigh, hidden under his pajama pants.

"Back at ya, buddy," Newton says, eyes never leaving Hermann's face.

Hermann doesn't know how to respond to that, so he simply kisses him, hoping that conveys well enough what he can't say out loud.

As they part, Newton lets out a wry chuckle. "We've both certainly got our share of issues, don't we?"

"I believe that is putting it mildly," Hermann replies. He adjusts his hand so his fingers slide between Newton's. "But I also believe we can get through them. Together."

The grin that lights up Newton's face is worth everything they'd ever gone through to get to this point. "Okay, well, I have an issue we can start working on right now."

Hermann scowls. "So help me God, Newton, if you say anything about your penis --"

Newton bursts into laughter. "No, man! No. Not this time, anyway." He leers at Hermann and Hermann rolls his eyes before he continues. "I was actually talking about my stomach. Let's go get some breakfast, dude."

He lets go of Hermann's hand, grabs his glasses off the night stand, and bounces out of bed towards the bathroom before Hermann can answer, hollering something about pancakes behind him.

For the first time in a long time, Hermann feels like everything will be all right.


End file.
